Accenture - User Research & Design to
Improve Strategic Planning & Employee Experience.
A utility client needed to improve their strategic planning. However, lack of quality in the data captured by the employees (only 2% input was of value), would ground them into a reactive tactic. They requested Accenture’s pitch to increase data capture through employee engagement.
Understand.
I worked for three months with a Senior UX Practitioner, a Project Manager, a BA and reported to the Project MD. I collaborated closely with stakeholders and employee trainers to understand the problem space, by reviewing hardware and software used to input the requested data. The challenges for the workers were threefold.
First of all, the hardware provided to the employees was inadequate, outdated and difficult to operate, while the battery lasted for a short amount of time, the screen was not visible under sunny weather conditions, and
Then, the software was improper for mobile use and cumbersome to load over a 3G network connection out in the field.
Last, employees had to work their way through over 50 different forms during their daily routine. However, these forms were not task-specific and asked for too much information, hampering their workflow, productivity and morale.
Create.
Along with the Senior UX Practitioner, we combined a set of UCD methodologies to approach the problem. The UCD approach included SUS phenomenological approach of the employee's perception of the current technology; field observations to assess their needs in context and a tablet prototype built for user testing through a set of evaluation workshops. Three primary forms were designed in Omnigraffle working from the ‘content-out’ and following a ‘mobile first’ approach.
Deliver.
I gathered data from all the above enquiry studies and different collaborators and facilitated stakeholders’ workshops to cluster emerging patterns of user needs and behaviours.
The findings informed a set of business and user requirements, created personas and defined user journeys, surfaced employee pain points and their suggested solutions.
Finally, I helped with the graphic design of the MD presentation and compiled user testing video recordings into a four-minute video to expose the user’s voice and help stakeholders empathise with employees’ daily challenges.